Jack Nicholson: Handling the Truth

When Jack was 37, in 1974, he found out something that changed his life: the woman he thought was his sister was actually his mother.

Jack’s “sister” June was 17 and a dancer and showgirl with the famous Earl Carroll Dancers. She had an affair with a 27 year old man and got pregnant. The man was not yet divorced from his first wife so he couldn’t marry her. (However, he paid off some officials, committed bigamy and married her anyway, thereby saving her from what was at that time, shame and humiliation).

June's mother, Ethel, was understandably upset and took matters into her own hands. June was sent to her cousin's in New York where she would carry and give birth. ( Jack was born in April of 1937 in St. Vincent’s hospital, in New York City. There is, however, no record of his birth anywhere.)

She then returned to Neptune New Jersey where they lived and it was agreed that Ethel, Jack’s grandmother would raise the child as her own. No one would know.

So Jack was raised by his grandmother, thinking she was his mother and that his actual mother was his older sister. Whoever knew, kept the secret.

The truth hit him hard.

By the time Jack found out, both his mother and grandmother had died. [June died of cancer in 1963 at age 44.]

Jack had virtually no contact with his birth father. He did call his father once, reportedly beginning the conversation with a terse "Hello. I understand you're family", but he did not allow the relationship to go any further. [His birth father also died of cancer, in 1997.]

Jack, the actor.

Jack got his training as an actor with a group called the Players Ring Theatre. He found jobs onstage and on TV - in shows such as Bronco, Hawaiian Eye, and Tales Of Wells Fargo.

Sex, violence, horror and action.

Jack’s first big break came in 1968 when director Roger Corman cast him as the lead in his low-budget film, The Cry-Baby Killer.

Since Corman often shot his films back-to-back on the same set, Jack hung around and was cast in a series of Corman films notable for their sex, violence, horror and action.

Drugs

Jack smokes incessantly and went through an intense drug period, including the use of LSD. He said he gave that up after waking one morning in a tree.

Jack, however continued to use other drugs and became very interested in internal counsciousness and the counter-culture.

He wrote the script for Corman's LSD extravaganza, The Trip, and put together The Monkees' “weird-out,” film, Head.

One thing led to another.

In The Trip, a TV director decides to score some acid and explore his mind. Peter Fonda played the director and Dennis Hopper played the dealer.

Peter and Dennis were working on their own project in 1969, called Easy Rider. When Rip Torn backed out of his role at the last minute, they asked Jack to replace him as the spirit-soaked southern lawyer.

Easy Rider got Jack an Oscar nomination and made him a star.

Jack has been nominated for an Oscar eleven times and won it three times -- as Best Actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975 and As Good As It Gets in 1998. He also won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment in 1982.

In 1994, Jack was given the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award.

Money, money,money!

Jack’s movies have made over $1.25 billion at the box-office. The number that is quoted most is the $60 million he received from his share of the 1989 film, Batman.

(In his Oscar acceptance speech for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jack thanked Mary Pickford "for being the first actor to get a percentage of her pictures.” Jack learned quick.)

Smug and sexist

Jack Nicholson has been described as “smug and sexist to the core.” He has had a reputation as a womanizer since his salacious role in the Mike Nichol’s film, Carnal Knowledge. And the racy sex scenes with Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice did not hurt his reputation one bit.

His many affairs.

After an early marriage to Sandra Knight, 1962-'67, Jack had a 17-year relationship with Anjelica Huston. When she left him, he began seeing Rebecca Broussard. (He had two children with Rebecca -- Lorraine and Raymond. Jack also has a son, Caleb whom he had with actress Susan Anspach, in 1970).

Jack had been involved secretly with actress Lara Flynn Boyle, who was 30 years younger than him. She has said that being with Jack was like “being with a King -- talented, experienced, charismatic, fabulously well connected and unbelievably rich.” Who could argue with that?

Then there was Christine Sheehan, an ex-prostitute who claimed she went to Jack’s Hollywood home in 1996. She said when she asked for the money for her services, Jack banged her head repeatedly on the floor. She settled out-of-court for $33,000. Later, she claimed her injuries had worsened and asked for another half a million. This time, Jack contested. Jack has made love to women 26 years younger than himself on screen and 33 years younger than himself off screen.

And then there’s basketball.

Every basketball fan knows that Jack is a Los Angeles Lakers super-fan and never misses a home game. Rumor has it that the shooting schedules of his films have to be arranged around the Lakers' home schedule.

Moon over Boston.

Jack’s (in)famous basketball story happened during the 1984 NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics at Boston Garden. Jack was in a private box and began teasing the Boston fans. He put his hand round his throat, suggesting that Boston was about to choke.

Well, it seems that the Celtics took the lead and held it. With the clock running down and Jack’s Lakers about to lose, Jack gave the Boston fans his editorial comment: He dropped his pants and mooned them.

You’ve come a long way, Jack.

The guy who started out playing creeps in Roger Corman B movies now sits in the front row at the Academy Awards. No need to say “Nicholson” any more. Just “Jack” will do fine.

My favorite Jack lines:

Jack Torrance (The Shining):
"He-e-e-e-re's Johnny!"

Colonel Nathan Jessup (A Few Good Men):
"You can't handle the truth."

Daryl Van Horne (The Witches of Eastwick):
"Do you think God knew what he was doing when he created woman?"

Melvin Udall (As Good As It Gets):
"You make me want to be a better man."

For other articles of interest to those over 50 (seniors and boomers) visit www.LetLifeIn.com. With a cutting edge and a (sometimes irreverent) sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores all aspects of being 50+ -- the concerns, the issues, and the controversies as well as the fun stuff.